


Summer Solstice

by SayakaYoru351



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Bio-divesity, Childhood Friends, Comedy, Cultural, Dogs, Environmentalism, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Gay Love, Humor, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbians, M/M, Non-Discrimination, Non-Racism, Romance, Separations, Summer Love, Summer Romance, diversity, orginal work - Freeform, supportive parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-09-13 00:28:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16882185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SayakaYoru351/pseuds/SayakaYoru351
Summary: The Truth. The Lie. The RealityThree things that no longer cannot be denied.When the truth is revealed, it hurts like no other than ever before.When a lie is spoken, backs are turned and whispers drift in the air.And when reality is shown, everyone closed their eyes and blocked their ears.Why?What begins from childhood is supposed to end with childhood but to Alex Lukehelm, he can't just leave the memories behind he shared with his newfound friend. Especially if you spent your summers together since the day you met.Summer Solstice is a story of two boys who grew up and fell apart, only to meet again and turned up strangers to one another.  This is just an addition of falling in love in One Million ways.





	1. First Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a child's dream gets broken...  
> Don't you ever wonder what else broke?

"Damnit!" I cursed and hit my duvet. I ran my hand through my sweaty hair and glared at my blaring alarm before shutting it off.

I took deep breaths and told myself to calm down and relax. When my heart started to beat like a normal organ again rather than a marathon runner I dropped my face to my hands. I basked in the silence for a moment before dragging both my palms down my face, agonizingly slow. I watched as the dust participles danced in air and the gentle glow of the early morning sun slip passed my closed blinds.

Every time I blinked, bits and pieces of the memory flashed behind my eyelids. Each and every one made my chest hurt and my hands clench. That was a long time ago but after having that dream, it felt fresh once again.

_The sun was high but the wind was cool. The open window let the cool breeze enter the car and spurred my grogginess further. The industrial buildings of Iowa were long left behind as my Dad drove half-way to South Dakota._

_"You're going to have fun there, Al. Don't brood!" Mom cheered from the passenger seat as she pointed a pen at me._

_"Yeah, Mom has been dying to see you!" Dad agreed, twisting his body to check on me at the back. He shouldn’t probably be doing that, I thought._

_"Honey, the road!" Mom scolded as she slapped Dad's arm. Dad immediately twisted his body and drove safely again._

_I stared at my parents blankly. Grandma and the word dying shouldn't be together in the same sentence. That's just a bit of a dark omen but I didn't point that out. The concrete roads and side buildings are nothing more than grass and marshlands now. It makes breathing easier since there's no smoke or other stench clouding the area and my nostrils._

_"Does she still remember me?" I muttered, as I rested my cheeks grumpily on my palms. I remembered, Grandma was not happy about our city life. “It’s been so long and she wasn’t really this perfect and soft grandma you once told me, Mom,” I accused, begrudgingly._

_"Mom is just being lovely, okay? Don't overthink it, sweetie."_

_“Are you serious?” I deadpanned._

_Even at 8 years old, I still don't know how my Mom can be so optimistic and sweet about everything. There's nothing lovely about an old lady cursing and disowning city folks for being so modern. I vaguely remember that one time she visited us in Iowa and all she did was complain about the stink of an open sewage system, the loud honks of passing cars, traffic, heat, and of course her ever so favorite, the polluted air._

_Grandma hated the city; any sort of community that destroys nature to be exact. People tend to be so lazy now and just depend on machinery, as she once grumbled. It doesn't matter if environmental damages were caused so long as they get the job done, as she once grumbled. I really couldn't blame her, I also complained about almost the exact same problems just a little less dramatic._

_"Al, the window," Dad reminded me as soon as he turned into a dirt path._

_I rolled the window up and crawl to the other side and did the same just in time for the dirt path to throw its courses. Rocks and pebbles crunched beneath the weight of the car, some bouncing off the windows; creating chains of pitter-patter against glass. The car left a trail of dust fogs as it passed, clouding the trees and shrubs in the pathway side. Mom hummed an unknown song while Dad steeples his fingers on the steering wheel to accompany her humming. She looked up from her word search and glanced at him and then they shared happy grins before going back to their tasks._

_I snorted, my parents are such dorks. They still look puppies in love. No sooner, a house was in sight. It was a bright house with sky blue walls and white beams and roof. There was a line of white picket fences that protect her beautiful garden filled with colorful flowers that varies from: snapdragons, marigold, roses, lilies, lavender, yellow-bells, tulips, foxgloves, etc.._

_She nurtured those flowers for her honeybee and sells the excess to environmentalists. Those people replant the flowers to vacant lots they were able to buy and sometimes would trek the mountains to cover up bald flowerbeds. Grandma believes that flowers really do help make things beautiful but they are not meant for grand openings of industrial buildings and newly opened corporations and businesses. Flowers are meant for nature and human beings, as she says._

_That's what she does for a living and I respected her greatly for that. Dad stopped the car outside the fence and I can already hear Grandma's music recorder from her porch. I saw her waddle towards us and step down the deck. Mom opened the car and sprinted towards her and gave her a big bear hug. Dad chuckled as he took my bags from the trunk while I try to hop down the car._

_"Mom, it's so nice to see you again," Mom beamed. It was bright and sincere and it also made me smile, as well._

_"Finally, it's about time you visit this cranky oldy!" Grandma huffed, petulantly._

_Grandma has a very soft voice. She has dark skin and curly Afro-like hair and a pot belly still visible despite her blue polka dot dress. She's an African-American that used to work in Seattle until she met Grandpa, who was a mechanic. How a nature-loving woman fell in love with a man of contraptions bewilders me._

_Mom once told me their love story was so sweet and it wasn't easy seeing as Grandma was black and Grandpa was white and people were quite harsh during those times. I asked Mom what she meant by that but she smiled and crushed an apple, with her bare hands. After they got married, they moved to the outskirts of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and rarely visited the city._

_Grandpa started an Auto-Repair shop. He was really good at fixing cars and other rusty old metal scraps. Dad told me a story one time. There was a time where a client offered Grandpa the spare parts of his car because it was too damaged to be repaired. That man loved his car but he might as well make use of what was left. Moved, Grandpa went up to the task of fixing it. It took a while, but he did._

_After that, that man became his best friend. I don't know what happens after because Mom interrupted us. After Grandpa passed away, the shop was closed and Grandma lived on her own ever since. Mom told me they offered her to stay with them but Grandma refused and told her that she and Grandpa promised to depart in the same house and she plans to keep that promise. After that, Grandma had Grandpa's tool shed at the backyard taken down and turned into an altar where his ashes were scattered._

_"Mom, you're not an oldy! You're a lovely lady!" My mom pouted as they took a step away from each other._

_"Yeah, Mom, don't get too scary on our little boy now," Dad chuckles._

_"Ah, be quiet now, Ethan," Grandma chided. "Is this Alex now?" She stared down at me. "My, you've grown little boy!"_

_"Hello, Grandma," I waved at her shyly as Mom lifted me up until Grandma reached me._

_"Aw, I missed you dearly, child!" She cooed and kissed my cheeks as I did the same for her. "How about Chrys?" She looked around in confusion._

_Mom and Dad shared sad smiles and faced her. "Chrys just started college in UK and he's still adjusting.  But, he did promise to call and greet you when he gets the free time."_

_"Boy, I hope he does it soon. It's been years since you visited! Now get going, I baked some Honey hazel cookies."_

_"Cookies!" Dad and I squealed. I remembered wiggling out of Mom's hold and jumped down and sprinted inside the cozy home with my father at my heels._

_"Boys!" Mom and Grandma scolded us, and I can imagine them with the hands on their hips and frowns on their face._

_I didn't care, because Grandma's cookies were the best._

_After that, Mom and Dad walked out with me holding a part of Grandma's dress. "Take care now Ruby, Ethan," Grandma reminded and gave them both a peck on the cheeks._

_Mom and Dad gave her a hug and kissed my forehead. Dad knelt down to my height and hugged me close. "Behave now and take care of Grandma, kay little boy?"_

_"Okay," I tell him and kissed his cheek. Dad ruffled my hair and adjusted his bag._

_"Thank you for watching him, Mom," Dad said._

_"Oh, I get to have my grandson the entire summer. I'm glad to have him with me," she rebutted softly and took my Dad's hand. "Have a safe trip."_

_"We will," Mom promised._

_Mom hopped into the car and shut the door close. She smiled at me and placed two fingers on her lips and gestured it towards me. I waved at her and did the same. It was our way of saying ‘I love you’. Dad started the car and backed up until he was able to turn the car and they left. Grandma and I watched the dusty trails until the car was no longer in sight._

_"Let's go inside, Alex. You must be tired from the trip," Grandma ushered me back to the house and I just nodded. My eyes were on her, taking in her pink and plump lips and long lashes._

_The place is just as comfy and homey as it looks. The walls were solid red wood with beige thin curtains spread on the window. The furniture was also made of cherry wood with velvet maroon cushions. There are shelves filled with hard-bound books that were probably published around 1890's. The TV is also old but can still be used, but I knew Grandma preferred her radio._

_The doors inside were the double-sliding type, and I actually messed with them once or twice already. The mini chandelier gave off a warm pastel orange glow and prompted my drowsiness further along with the music from the radio and the sweet scent of freshly baked honey-crusted pie. Grandma uses a clay oven so the smell is stronger and more organic. If I wasn't so sleepy and full from the milk and cookies earlier, I would be eating again._

_"Come on let's get you to your room. I'll wake you up when it's time for dinner," Grandma said me and stirred us upstairs._

_Dad already brought my bags up and Mom arranged my belongings earlier. The room was a lot bigger than my own back in Iowa and the bed looks more comfortable too. I know I jumped on it until Grandma put me bed once. The blinds were drawn up so the brightness sipped into the maroon colored room. I climbed up the bed and immediately sunk into the mattress, making me stumble forward. I heard Grandma chuckle and I blushed harder as I try to push myself up.._

_"Get some rest, okay," she whispered before kissing my forehead._

_"M'kay," I mumbled sleepily. She stood up and opened the window a little bit, easing the cool wind inside. After that, she left and closed the door gently._

_That was my first time with Grandma after so long. I didn't get a chance to look around both from before and now, so I didn't know if there were any kids my age here or at least other people. My eyelids were getting heavier and before I knew it, I fell asleep._

  


With a sigh, I scooted out the bed and made my way towards the window. My fingers lowered the blinds and I peeked out. My eyes instantly narrowed to the moving truck right across the street, confusing me for a moment. Just the thought of moving got me another session of head pounding, remembering my dream though it was more of a memory rather than a dream. It's been two years since it stopped, always went on for a week after summer solstice and another before school starts.

I stretched my back and grunted when my spine popped. My attention snapped to the door when I heard continuous scratching and whining. I rolled my eyes and scoffed with fond exasperation. I opened the door and a grey and white Husky bounded in, barking and climbing up my body enthusiastically. I chuckled and cupped my beloved baby's face.

"Good morning to you too, Memory," I puckered to him and he barked his response then attempted to lick my face. "Ahaha, no. It's too early for that," I lowered his paws down before ruffling his head and pinching his right ear.

He barked again but followed me out anyway. I can’t help the wide yawn that stretched jaw and almost made me stumble as I come down the stairs. Memory run towards the door and ducked down his doggy door. I can hear him barking and playing with the water sprinkler outside as it waters the plant. My dog is cute but I think he's a bit too enigmatic sometimes.

"Morning, Al," Mom smiled at me as she poured juice in my glass.

I stepped near her and ducked down a bit to accept her kiss on my forehead. I hugged her waist and mumbled a good morning of my own. I like the fact that I'm taller than her now, almost towering her a bit but that doesn't make me anymore better than her. She's still my mom and frankly, she's still scary despite her height.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked as I sit my butt on the stool by the counter.

"Egg rolls and pancakes," was her simple answer before she started humming her mindless tune that doesn’t seem to change over the years.

I grinned and closed my eyes, relishing that lyric-less music. Moments later, a plate of three-stacked pancakes with egg rolls was set in front of me, and it made my stomach rumble. I thanked my mom and ate slowly as I checked on my phone for any sort of message. Mom threw a glare to my direction when she spotted the 'accursed' device, causing me to laugh sheepishly and pocket it back. Mom said it's disrespectful to eat with a gadget within reach, sometimes I keep forgetting that.

"Where are you going?" She asked just as I finished washing my used utensils.

I wiped my hands on the tea towel before running my fingers through my messy hair. "Evan's."

"Oh," I saw the disappointment on her face, making me sag with her sympathetically.

I smack a kiss on her cheek and dashed out. Memory is lying on his back while constantly rolling on the grass with his tongue out. I chuckled and caught his attention immediately. My eyes widened in terror when I noticed him running straight towards me.

"Oh no," I held my finger out, throwing him a warning glare. "Memory, st--"

He didn't so I ran away before he could either shake the water off his fur or tackle me down. Neither sounds appealing, seeing as I just ate breakfast and it's too early in the morning to get a dog-induced bath. Memory barked continuously behind me and I heard his soaked paws smacked against the concrete. I crossed the street, thankful it's too early for cars to pass by and make my way around the car by the curb. I saw a familiar lanky stepping out of the house with three boxes on his hold.

There was a devilish printed on my face when he saw me being chased by my dog. I saw him sighing just as I passed and he accepted his fate of being ferociously tackled by Memory. Memory wasn't satisfied with that and shook his body, pelting the water on my neighbor.

"Morning, Evan," I grinned at his face.

He rolled his eyes and slowly pushed himself up. He shot me a disapproving stare before he removed his thick-framed glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. Memory kept barking and bouncing around, wagging his tail when Evan stared at him.

He wiped his face with his palm. "It's too early for this," Evan grumbled in that robotic voice of his, sounding like it vibrates in his throat.

He just stared at me again with that permanent sass on his face. Many people would say that other people have this permanent scowl on their faces, but not Evan. This guy has sarcasm and bitch printed on his face the day he was born. I can proudly declare that this guy's sass is worse than his bite.

"You love my dog," I cooed at him playfully.

He scoffed before rolling his eyes, he seemed to be very prone of that. "I don't think I can reciprocate."

"It makes me wonder why dogs love you so much when humans are scared just by looking at you," I mused, absently.

It's true however; any sort of dog ran up to this guy and begged for his attention when people scrambled out of his way and eyesight. Memory is a friendly dog, but he never jumped on them like he ever did with Evan. Memory just stared and wagged his tail but that's that. I remembered that time I took Evan to the park and as if there was a bone by his feet, ALL the dogs jumped on him and surrounded us both.

"That's because this brat is a needy bitch," a feminine yet stern voice commented. Evan and I turned to a pretty brunette woman wearing scrubs with her hair held in to a messy bun. I grinned at her when she bumped her hip on Evan's and made the poor guy lose his balance and suave.

"Good morning, Hestia," I greeted cheerily and absently patted Memory's head.

"What's peachy about this fucking morning?" She grumbled with a sharp look towards the sun as if it just ruined her day. Well, I suppose it did.

Evan may never mention it but I knew he agreed with her. It may look like she cursed her son directly but that's just the way she is. She's not the typical mom who told children what to do or scold them for cursing. Fun fact, they'll actually learn from her. Top class parenting if I do say so myself.

"Nothing, but I guess I'm just starting a good farewell." It was more of a question than a statement.

Hestia raised me a questioning look that made my shoulders twitch to shrug. "What's good about farewells?" She grunted as she crossed her arms over her chest.

I laughed; she's got a point there. "You're right about that." I gave her a smile, hoping that my bitterness wasn't obvious considering of what I just recalled this morning. "I actually came by here to ask for Evan's company, s'all."

"I don't get why we have to move a week before class starts when we could've done it a month ago," he muttered under his breath.

Hestia smacked his son upside the head lightly. "I know you'll just fucking mope around missing your goddamn friends if I take you in that noisy neighborhood."

"I don't mope," Evan frowned, like he was feeling confused himself.

"Tell that to your ass mother," she scowled.

"I don't mope," Evan repeated blandly just as I reminded: "You  _are_ his mother."

"And I don't give a rat's ass fuck," she sang, spun on her heel and flipped us off with her non-existent hair, seeing as it’s tied in a bun. 

I snicker at the both of them. "She’s quite the drama queen."

"Rightfully so," he snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. For some reason, that reminded him of his mother.

As if indicating his agreement, Memory barked and started bouncing again to catch both of our attentions. Evan frowned at him then gave me a look that probably screamed 'Is he a dog or an insect?' I shrugged and patted Memory's head, who attempted to bite my arm off. Traitor. I glared at him and he crouched down and wagged his tail.

"C'mon, wanna hit town?" I jabbed my thumb over my shoulder.

"I don't think I'm capable of hitting an area this big," he answered flatly. "Or anything for that matter."

"Don't be a smartass and just get dress, Hearth!" I scowled at him before twisting his body and pushed him towards the door.

"Oh please, that's your job," he smirked. Ass. "And don't call me that," he spat.

I smirked, knowing full well just how much he disliked his first name. He protested because it's too feminine but it's probably just because he got teased as 'fiery and hot', which is actually true both figuratively and physically. He grumbled on his way to the door and I called Memory to follow me back to prepare.

I got up to my room with Memory at my heels, hopped in the showers, got dry and picked out a simple grey wife beater and khakis shorts, and a pair of sandals. I ran my fingers passed my damp brownish, blonde hair before shaking my head like a dog. Memory whined at the lack of attention and he howled at me. I smiled towards him as I unhook a baby blue collar with his tag and bone. He sneered when he caught sight of it and that made me groan.

"Boy, it's either you wear this or you don't get to come at all," I chided softly and wrapped the collar around his neck. He growled before attempting to bite the thing off, and you know how that ends.

Memory hated to be collared but since we're in the city, he'll be easily seen as stray and thrown to the pound. I don't want that. As much as I hate to collar him, getting him to the pound is much worse. After a quick permission from Mom and a kiss from both of my sisters, I headed out with Memory bounding behind me.

"Where are you taking me and why did I agree do this again?" Evan grunted, wearing that signature dark blue beanie of his and a simple maroon shirt and black jeans, and white vans.

"First question: To the Street bizarre. Second question: shouldn't you know the answer to that?" I pointed and Memory barked happily.

Evan gave my dog a funny look before looking back at me. "Whatever."

We spent the rest of the morning roaming Manhattan Street bizarre until we got to the food park. Evan was complaining about new schools, paperwork, and his ever so favorite, annoying people. In general, everyone. I knew Evan didn't want to move but ever since his mom got reassigned in a different state, they had to.

Hestia is a Doctor at a local clinic here. She curses a lot, understandable since she used to be a gangster during her youth and bad habits die hard. Nonetheless, she loves her son more than anything else and if Evan asked to stay here in Manhattan, she'll agree in no less than a second. However, I know Evan and as much as he  _preferred_ to stay, he never really wanted to leave his mom all by herself.

He's already legal and Hestia had no problem leaving Evan; he's responsible enough even before he turned eighteen. Evan and I, we're friends but I wouldn't label him as my 'best friend'. I only have one and that's Ric, nothing's changing that. However, Evan was the first kid I met when we moved here. He was sarcastic and typically indifferent but at least he was honest with me albeit brutally.

"Indiana, huh," I muttered, leaning against the rails as I handed Evan a plate of nachos and throw a bread towards Memory who caught it with ease. Show Dog.

Evan shrugged indifferently as he swirled the chili with a single nacho. "We visited it about a month ago when you went to South Dakota," he popped the nacho in his mouth and chew slowly. "The people there are weird."

"Weird how?" I asked as I tossed a piece of beef jerky to Memory.

"It's like all the people there know you're a stranger, gives me the chills too."

It made me a tad bit curious about his statement. This guy basically lets the world run its course so for him to feel troubled by strangers gives me the wrong vibes. Now I'm really worried.

"You sure you'll be okay there?" I frowned at him.

He shrugged and avoided my eyes. "I'll live."

"That doesn't really answer my question," I smirked.

He snorted and stumbled when I nudged him on his shoulder. He glared coldly at me and I bit my lip to stop the grin that was about to break. He noticed though judging the way he rolled his eyes but I saw that micro-smile of his at the corner of my eye. Memory suddenly perked up, his head snapping in directions.

I frowned in worry and leaned down to caress his back. "What is it, boy?"

He only barked and his nose flared then his tail started to wag. Evan and I exchanged questioning looks. Just when I was about to tug Memory, he bounced and dashed off.

"Memory!" I hollered.

Evan flinched as Memory ran passed him. I barely managed a 'stay here' and I'm now running after my dog, screaming and cursing his name. Memory continued to bark and run to the direction, not even bothering look back. What the hell?!

"Memory!!"

People stumbled and yelped when Memory bumped on their legs or startled them. I hastily apologized to each of them while ignoring their complaints. My dog is suddenly out of my sight and that made me frantic and all clammy. I snapped my head to the left when I heard a bark, not caring if it's him or not. I'm lost in the sea of crowd which increased my panic even more. I tried to gently push people off but I received a few shoves and jabs. Nah, I'll live.

I yelled in triumph when I finally broke out, only to scream bloody murder when I spotted a grey tail disappearing within the ferns. I sprinted towards the direction and the sight before me made me froze. Memory was playing with a familiar brown and white husky without a collar, nipping its ear or pushing each other to the ground.

"Alpha!" A rough and deep voice boomed, pulling the dog by the scruff on its neck and snapping me out of my stupor. "I'm sorry; he's not usually this abrasive."

A familiar glint drew my attention and caused my heart to skip a beat, my stomach dropping. I felt my throat becoming dry despite the fact I just went in circles looking for my dog. Memory whined and licked my fingers but I ignored him to tell myself to take a breath. No, he can’t be here. It’s been so long.

It _can’t_ be him…

"Hey, you alright?" The stranger asked.

"Ric?”


	2. Chapter 2

_I watch his silhouette grace my form. From up high the tree, he stays still. His back may be turned, but I know he stares at the bright glow of orange and yellow of the sinking sun._

_"Aren't you scared?" I asked. I was a boy, no older than 12 years old._

_He looks back, but I couldn't make out his face. "No," he simply answers. "But isn't it exciting to be on top?"_

_I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was smiling. I can imagine what he looks like right now. His eyes squint, his lips quirking softly; like marshmallows being stretch. Layers of wrinkles fold at the corner of his eyes and the emphasis of his cheekbones. I don't know why but this is the smile that I love most._

_"I wouldn't know. I'm down here," I pout and cross my arms._

_He tilts his head, confuse. "Do you want to come up here?"_

_"No," I immediately answer._

_"Are you scared?" No response._

_When he realized that no reply would come, he sighs. I don't like it. It feels like he's trying to release a heavy burden, or that he's disappointed. It scares me. I watch with fear and anxiety as he carefully climbs down. Slim fingers grab sturdy branches and small feet finds support. He doesn't say anything which spikes my anxiety even more. Is he mad? Am I in trouble? Is he leaving? What do I do now?_

_Then he stands in front of me._

_I wait. He doesn't do anything but he held out his hand. I stare at it and back to him when he doesn't offer an explanation. He shakes his hand again, giving me a pointed look. I pout, he groans and roll his eyes skyward before he snatched my hand and tug me gently._

_"What are you doing?" I demand but all I heard was a chuckle and it makes my heart flutter. It's like a sound of chiming bells during a holy celebration or even a gentle buzz made by a honeybee._

_"C'mon," he tugs again, making me stumble at the roots of the tree. I glare at him and yet he only grins and points up. No way, he can't be serious. "Just give it a try. Take a step from here," he points at the chipped part of the trunk._

_I eyed him like he was crazy. I just said I didn't want to go up there. This kid though, he huffs out a small laugh and led my hands to the trunk. I did as was showed and I hold onto another chipped area._

_He was behind me, urging me not to look down and just continue up until I was where he was sitting. He placed his hand on the small of my back and told me to sit. He holds my hand and give it a gentle squeeze._

_"Is it scary?" He asked me_   _softly_.

_I wouldn't know, my eyes are closed. "Who said I was scared?!" I grunted._

_He laughs; so hard I can feel the vibrations from the tree and sending tingles all over my body. I huffed and tried to hit him, but I hit nothing. Instead, he caught my wrist and squeezed it again. I didn't struggle in fear of losing balance._

_"If you're not scared, why are you closing your eyes?"_

_I don't know what to say. I didn't want admit it. Not to him at least. He was fearless as he climbed this tree; smiling at me_   _so carelessly. I didn't want to seem so weak and pathetic. Maybe that's gonna make him leave. I don't want to lose a friend. I don't want him to think I can't do anything without his help._

_But I'm scared._

_"Alex," he says softly_   _then I feel hands cupping my cheeks. "Don't be scared. Open your eyes and look."_

_"No," I protested. I can feel his touch caress my cheekbone but I know he wasn't prying my eyes open._

_"Please don't miss this out with me," he begs. Voice so small yet so encouraging I was half-tempted to comply. "Alex, for me."_

_I couldn't say no to that anymore. And I know he knows it too. His hands left my cheeks but I can still feel his touch. In this proximity, not only his warmth was there. His entire presence screams it all, hindering me from scooting away. I willed my eyes to open and the first thing I see is his gray eyes, staring straight my soul's windows._

_"Look," his fingers hook beneath my chin and he led my gaze to the horizon he admired._

_I wouldn't say it was breath-taking, but it was something I would appreciate. The orange glow of the sun slowly sinks down between two mountains. You can see the silhouettes of migrating birds fly to their destination. The sky starts to mold into dusk, the stars twinkling as everything darkens. It wasn't a rare sight but I couldn't look away. Something tells me, this is deeper. More nostalgic in the future._

_"Still scared?" He asked again._

_"No," was my answer. "Thank you."_

_I didn't realize what it was until the truth hit me in the face the next morning. My protest were ignored and my cries were stifled. Last night was the end of summer solstice._

_And my last summer with him._

 


	3. Boy Next Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Children are easy to love,  
> they are also easy to change.

It felt like my world suddenly stopped and I was left to hang on the edge. My heart couldn't stop pounding and there was this ringing in my ear that made me dizzy and nauseous. I met a boy eleven years ago. He was around my age and the first time we met wasn’t pleasant… but it was also something I wouldn’t be able to forget.

_My eyes were heavy but, I tried fighting the drowsiness off. The breeze was gentle and cool as it blew my blonde hair to tickle my nose and me sneeze. I was resting my head on Grandma's lap while she knitted a scarf, or was it a sweater? The slow and elegant melody of her music flowed in the air and accompanied the symphony of the breeze. The sun was high up the sky but it wasn't even humid._

_“Get up," she said. "Why don't you play while I make us some lunch," she eased my head up from her lap as I stared dazedly at her. She stood up and placed her half-finished material on her chair and went for the door._

_"Okay," I replied, barely registering my surroundings as I fought sleep._

_I slowly got up with a yawn and stretched my back. I blearily stared at the vacated lot around me and an idea popped in my head that made me ran to my room. Grandma yelled at me to slow down or I'll slip. I opened the door forcefully causing a loud bang to erupt in the whole house and Grandma was yelling at me to be careful, again. I only giggled and went to my closet. Once I got a hold of what I came up here for, I rushed back down._

_"Oh? And where are you going?" Grandma chided, though she was smirking at me._

_I stuck my tongue out and grinned. "Out," I answered and showed her my digital camera._

_Grandma's eyes softened as her lips fell into a smile. "Watch out and don't stray far."_

_I nodded eagerly with my hand already twisting the knob of the door before she was done speaking. "I won't. See ya!"_

_I held my camera tightly as I ran down the deck. I snapped a photo of the first thing I saw: a snapdragon. I wonder why they call it like that. It didn't look like a dragon, it's not even close to snapping. It's a beautiful flower yet why is it named so violently? I looked around some more and found a honeybee gathering nectar from a yellow-bell. I hold out my camera and snap! I caught a picture of a bee! And I wasn't even stung._

_"Grandma, I'll go out a bit!" I said. I didn't even wait for her reply and I was already pushing the fence aside and strode out._

_I don't know the state enough to wander away from Grandma's house so, I didn’t wander too far.  I made sure to stay out of the road in case cars passed by, Mom always tell me so. I circled the house and saw Grandpa's old and abandoned Auto shop. It was locked though it wasn’t like I'm gonna go in there. It's old and scary that there must be some ghosts there. I shivered at the thought. I passed by the shop after taking a picture of the signage then I was on my way._

_South Dakota is really refreshing and the area is still filled with wheat and tall grasses. It's only been a week and I already wanted to stay or at least spend another summer here. I hope my parents would let me. If they won't then, I'm just gonna cry and beg them to. Grandma is really nice and she makes delicious treats. I saw a few houses around but they’re not really close to each other unlike the houses in the city where they’re nearly compacted._

_Hmm, maybe that was the reason why it wasn’t as humid in here because the wind can flow freely. My eyes snapped below when I saw a small shadow passed mine. I followed the shadow until it stopped on a branch. I giggled and awed when I saw a bright red bird, pecking the branches and tilting its head side to side. The bird stared at me and tilted its head again almost like it was curious. I waved at the bright birdie and it ruffled its red feathers. I held my camera as it started to hop on the very edge of the branch._

_"No, stay still," I whispered and half-begged. The bird stared at me again then pecked the branch on its feet. "Hah! Success!" I hollered when I got the picture and it was loud and sudden enough to startle the birdie and caused it to fly. "No! Don't go!"_

_But it was already far away. I pouted. I wanted to know if birdie was a boy or a girl! Oh well, what can I do? I laughed when I remembered I took a picture of him. Him. Since he didn't let me check, I'll just decide it's a he. Hah! Too bad for you if you're a girl birdie! It looked like a good picture. I'll ask Mom to print them for me. I held the camera to my eye as I looked up the tree. The view was pretty big but I guess that was the point. I snapped a photo and checked it. Yup, looks good._

_"What else..." I hummed while looking around._

_I heard some rustling but I assumed it was just the wind. I pointed my camera at no particular direction and took a picture of the grassy field. The rustling grew closer and it spiked a sense of fear to my heart. I searched around but all I saw were just wheat and grass. I gulped and took a step back. The wind blew hard and made the wheat rustle that covered the approaching sound that disturbed my peace. Something jumped behind me and I spun around and found a dog. A really big dog._

_And it barked at me._

_"Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!" I screamed and ran to the only available direction._

_I didn't care if people said dogs were man's best friend! I was only a boy and not a man, yet. And I'd rather stay that way, so that dog is not my best friend. My best friend is Winston and he's not a dog. He's a soft, squishy, and small teddy bear! That dog is big, black, and scary with his big and sharp teeth and scary brown eyes! How is that a man's best friend?!_

Why was I yelling that out? I don’t know but I was a kid and no reason would’ve helped me otherwise. Anyway…

_I pushed the fence open and ran for the door. At first I opened it with my face which didn’t work and it also hurt so I tried opening it with my fumbling and shaking hands. It worked! Victory later, run for your life now! I faintly heard Grandma asking me something but I ignored it and ran to my room. I shut the door closed and locked it before jumping on my bed to hide under the covers._

_I flinched and whimpered when I heard knocking. Is it the monster? Another set of knocking followed. Wow, that's one polite monster.  "Alex, honey. What's the matter?"_

_I relaxed at Grandma's soft voice. Silly Grandma, scaring me like that though, it didn't stop me from trembling. I peeked out of my blanket and stared at the door. "Nothing!" I squeaked five octaves higher. I heard Grandma chuckle and that made me feel embarrassed and flushed._

_"Are you really?" She asked though, I can tell she was smirking behind that door._

_I coughed to clear my throat and nodded only to realize she couldn’t see me. "Yes," I answered._

_"O-kay, lunch will be served in a few," I knew she didn't believe me and knowing that she is Dad's mom, I think she enjoyed this just the way Dad did when I get scared._

_I heard another knock but it's not from my door because it sounded low and almost like an echo. I heard Grandma's murmurs but couldn’t really make something out of it. I crawled out of the blankets and made my way to the door and pressed my ear only, to flinch and step away when Grandma knocked again._

_"Come out there, little boy. Someone wants to meet you," she said. Her fluffy slippers padded and faded as she walked away._

_I hesitated. No, there's no way that dog would follow me here. Or is there? No, no, no, listen to yourself, Alex. You can't be scared of a dog. Your next door neighbor in Iowa, Mrs. McDouglas, owns many dogs. Yeah, she does. You're forgetting something though, Alex. She owns three small, cute, hairy, overly energetic, and harmless Shih tzus! What we have here is a big, black, and dangerous dog!_

And I was having an argument with myself. Yeah, that’s how scared I was.

_"Alex!" Grandma hollered again._

_I sighed and slowly and very carefully, made my way out of the room. I bit my lip and peeked from the stairs. I could hear her talk still; however, it was all 'pshhpshhpshhpshh' to me. I couldn’t see who she was with from where I eavesdropped but I was completely assured that it was not the dog. Dogs can't talk. I tried talking to Marshmallow, one of the shih tzus, but she did not answer a single question I asked. All she did was tilt her head and stuck her tongue out, so labeling her as shy was also off the list. I tried bribing her with some marshmallows but she just bit my finger, greedy rascal._

_"What is it, Grandma?" I asked timidly when I was close enough._

_She was about to answer when the black dog suddenly popped out and barked at me. Again! I turned on my back to run but Grandma held my hand._

_"No! He's gonna eat me!" I protested and struggled out of Grandma's hold. How is she holding me still?! I'm an 8 years old boy with boundless energy and she's only my Grandma! Does knitting and gardening give you super strength?!_

_"Easy there, little boy," Grandma held both of my shoulders and spun me around to make me face that black hole-mouthed dog._

_"No!" I whined. "He's monster!"_

_"What?! Runner is not a monster!"_

_I stopped when I heard a high pitched protest. "Runner?" I repeat._

That was when I met the boy who became a part of my life and memories.

_"Yeah, my dog."_

_I shifted my eyes to Runner, who crouched down with his chest down and his wagging tail up. Runner was panting but was he also smiling? I don't know. I couldn't tell. He leaped and started bouncing around me. Every bark made me flinch and then he climbed up to my body. Oh my god! He's almost as tall as me! He licked my face and barked again._

_And I cried._

_"No, Alex. Runner is only asking you to play," Grandma consoled me._

_"Runner, get off him!" The boy ordered, earning a whine from the big dog. Runner removed himself from me but I only continued to wail. "We already scared him enough."_

_"H-he tasted me! Grandma, he's going to eat me!" I wailed again and hugged her torso with my snot sticking to her dress._

_"No, Runner doesn't eat people," the boy said softly and I heard Runner bark again in agreement that startled me and made me to cry harder. "Runner, you're scaring him. No more barking, big fella," and Runner whined. "I'm really sorry; he just doesn't play around much."_

_Grandma lifted my head away from her and used her dress to wipe my nose. I turned behind us and I got a good look of the boy who was Runner's owner. "Play?"_

_The boy beamed. "We don't really let dogs run around without a leash. Runner though, he growls at every adult because he thinks he'll be leashed so I always take him on walks," he patted Runner's hairy mane and Runner whined. "But when he saw you run, he thought we were playing chase. I'm really sorry. He's a good guy and he's really fun."_

_I stared down on Runner and as if he sensed me, he pulled away from the boy's touch and stared at me. He bounced again and made a stance like he's ready jump with his tail still wagging and his tongue out. "He does look cute," I conceded._

_"He is," the boy chuckled which caught my attention again. "Hey," he greeted as if just realized we just met._

_"Hi," I answered flatly._

_"Why don't you boys play out a bit until I'm done fixing up lunch," Grandma ushered us out._

_"Okay," I nodded at her. I turned to the boy again but he was kneeling down while rubbing Runner's tummy and he seemed to enjoy it with the way his tongue poked out._

_The boy turned to me; his grey eyes were shining like mercury under the light. His cheeks bones were prominent, nose angled and lips thin but pink. His skin was fair and rough looking. Despite all of it, it was his eyes that caught my attention. They were bright, lively and expressive but above all, they were breath taking. A completely unique shade that kept me fixated._

_His presence was something that I couldn’t ignore no matter what since I acknowledged him. I was no longer wary and in fact, I felt a strong connection to him that made my heart ease but running._

_He stood up and dusted his hands. "Alex, right?" I nodded. "Hi, my name's Ricouer, your next door neighbor."_

Thinking about it now, I guess I was right back then. I can never forget him, why? 

I lifted my gaze up and saw a turf of dark hair styled in a messy and unkempt manner, my eyes falling to red bow lips that was surrounded by peach fuzz, down to a sharp jawline angled perfectly. Then my eyes finally landed on his gre-- No, they're brown now; dark hazel brown eyes that no longer reflected the sun. Was I wrong? Is he really Ric?

Maybe I got the wrong guy. _Again_. This isn’t the first time I mistook some guy to be Ricouer but the unmistakable cross hanging around his neck was something I cannot stomach to be similar to others. I scanned the handsome stranger; he's about a head taller than me, broad shoulders hidden by his red hoodie, long legs clad in faded jeans. Memory yipped and tried to catch the attention of the stranger which baffled me due to his desperation. The other husky, Alpha if I recalled, was just wagging his tail and was staring at me expectantly. I turned to the guy again; watching the way his eyes twinkled and stare at my dog with adoration that showed me a semblance. Hence, made my heart ached and longed for someone I wish to be here every day and by my side.

"Memory," I called him with resignation dripping in my tone. I felt vulnerable and stricken with the way the stranger stared at me in confusion, no familiarity in his reaction towards me. Memory reeled at me before whining when I beckoned him. Alpha barked at me but I just eyed him. "I'm sorry about my dog," I smiled--grimaced.

"No, I don't mind," he reassured with a dismissive wave.

"Really..." I chuckled breathlessly. He gave me a small smile which made me bite my lower lip as I gently tugged Memory's collar. He whimpered at me and he fought his way back to Alpha. Furthermore, I can hear the other husky whine and howl, practically expressing his morose and ripping my heart out of my chest painfully.

In every step I take, disappointment dropped on my shoulders like pelting rain: cold and heavy. I swallowed the lump in my throat and closed my eyes to the point I tried to block the whispering voices in my head. Telling me it's no use; that I shouldn't have let my hopes up. I thought I stopped already. I thought I already gave up because through the years that passed by, I thought I'd never see him again. I tried to fight tears of frustration swelling in my eyes as I walked away.

"Well, I can't believe you bought that, Alex."

My heart skipped a beat before it raced 180 kilometer per hour; hammering my ribcage and brain and letting the heat rise to my cheeks. I spun around to see the young man grinning ear-to-ear with a dog that looked far too antsy for my liking. His smile suddenly dropped and he rushed to me.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry," he apologized and he fretted before whining in dismay. He cupped my cheeks and ran his thumb below my eyes to wipe tears I didn't realize I shredded. "Don't cry. Please, I'm sorry."

I can never forget him because the first time we met, he made me _cry_. And he did it again!

His hands squished my faces tightly. I don't know if he was serious with his apology or not but, I didn't dare pay attention to that. As soon as his skin touched mine, I melted instantly. The pads of his fingers were rough and calloused, warm and comforting around my face. He chuckled lowly and dropped his palms before he caged me in a tight hug with my chin resting on his shoulder.

I struggled to reach my eyes and harshly wiped the falling tears while cursing this bastard in my head. "You always do this!" I bellowed. "Every. Time!"

I felt the vibrations of his amusement as he laughed breathlessly. "Some things never change..." he shrugged.

I can't help but laugh at that because it’s true. My attention snapped away when I heard barking. I craned my neck and saw Alpha and Memory playing again. Ric also looked over his shoulder and burst out laughing as he saw two huskies bouncing in circles.

"Alpha," he called with happiness evidently materializing in his tone. Alpha's head instantly whipped to our direction which was a bit scary.

"Alex!" I broke away from Ric and pushed him lightly to turn around and see Evan sprinting towards us.

"Hey, sorry for bailing on you," I said sheepishly as I felt a  _bit_... just a bit, of amusement at his disheveled state.

Evan's hands dropped on his bent knees as he tried to catch his breath. "I doubt that," he snarled.

I raised both hands in mock surrender. "Guilty as charged."

He scowled and pulled his beanie off, revealing his bed hair to world. "Did you ditch me for your boyfriend over there?" He asked as he jerked his chin over my shoulder.

Boyfriend? Oh.  _Oh._ "Hearth," he scowled at the name, " Meet Ric. Ric, Hearth."

"Evan," Evan corrected firmly while giving me that bitch, unimpressed signature look of his. "Ric? As in the one who used to make you cry? Like a lot of times? Many, many, many times? That Ric?"

"From all the things I blurted, that's what you engraved in your head?" I groaned and rubbed my temples for the impending headache and embarrassment that was about to befall on me.

Sometimes I wish I could just shut my mouth. Or his. Either goes well with me.

Evan threw me a smug look before straightening up. Despite the hard look on his face, there was a smile that still ghosted on his lips and his eyes were twinkling with mischief and tomfoolery. "I like to keep track of ways to embarrass you."

"Well, you remembered right because I just did the deed a while ago," Ric grinned as he hanged his arm around my neck. "Rest assured though, those moments were unintentional."

"Liar," I sneered. His scent assaulted my nose but it was not the familiar earthy scent and spice. This time it was strong to the nose, probably one of those bench perfumes that always made me gag.

Evan was about to make a snarky remark when two huskies tackled him to the ground; lapping and yipping at his face. Ric and I shared glances, his new and unfamiliar dark brown eyes met my blue ones, and then we grinned and watched my friend being smothered by two dogs as he tried to push them away.

"Alpha likes you," Ric mused as he patted the dog's head in appreciation, amusement glinting in his brown eyes.

"His dog drool proved that, thank you," Evan cringed and wiped the drool off his face which only spread it out further.

Ric smirked and acted all sheepish with his hand rubbing his neck but, the way his eyes gleamed in amusement told a different story. I'm confusing myself; seeing him like this brought pain to my chest like a constant reminder of something we should have had but, the fondness in my eyes and the relief in my conscience contradicts what my heart felt. His presence seemed so familiar... yet unusual at the same time. It made me feel like a child again; dependent and lost. I don't know if it should scare me or excite me because I get to be naive again.

Signs of dusk edged at the horizons that caused the shadows to elongate until they blend with the dark turns of the alleys and buildings. The warm, orange glow of streetlights illuminated the city accompanied by hanging lanterns of the establishments. The streets became less crowded but, loud just the same. Shadows moved and lurked, stretching as the sun sunk lower until the stars started to appear and the last of the light disappeared. Surprisingly, Evan and Ric hit off easily. Well, if bickering and smartass remarks were their definition of getting to know each other, then I'll leave them to it.

"I'm stopping by the supermarket," Evan said just as he pocketed his phone. "Mom didn't want to cook because she’s too lazy to clean before the move."

Ah. That's right, the move.

I gave him a tight smile despite the painful twist in my chest. I'll be losing another friend within 16 hours. Ric stared between us in confusion. I mouthed a 'later' at him before turning to Evan to give him a hug. He froze but, at least he didn't push me away or scowl. When we pulled away, his doe-colored eyes were avoiding mine but his hands were clenched to his sides. _Ah, so he was hiding it, after all._

"Don't leave without me tomorrow," I told him, hinting a threat behind my words.

He shrugged and turned on his heel but he didn't move right away. "You'll live."

"Hearth, I mean it," I insisted, the desperation in my tone was a blatant proof of how much it’ll hurt me if he were to leave without a proper goodbye. He knew this. A frown marred my features but I wasn’t mad. Not really. I just felt small and uncontainable; like there's a pit of lava brewing in my gut, ready to wrench out of my insides.

His breath hitched and his shoulders flinched, his jaw wiggling as he chewed on his lip. He tugged his beanie lower and began to stroll away. That calmed me a bit considering he didn't throw his sarcasm fit at my face. Alpha and Memory whined and lowered their chests in submission but they didn't run after Evan.

"You'll see him tomorrow, boy," I assured while running my palm on his head, trying to comfort my hurting dog. "It's getting late, I should head home as well," I turned to Ric.

Ric's shoulders sagged and his eyes dropped. He tried to beam at me yet, dejection fell on his stance the second he let his walls down. He looks so pained I almost didn't want to leave. Oh god. What if I don't get to see him again? What if this is just a dream? Taunting my consciousness of something I've been longing to have. What if--

"Hey, chill," Ric shook my shoulder gently and pat my cheek to snap me out of my daydream. "We can exchange numbers. You do have a phone, right?"

I stared into his dark, brown eyes and tried to search for that early, childish glint; the silver gleam whenever he was about to do something dangerously fun but, all I saw was the anticipation of a young adult. His hair swayed down his forehead as the wind blew and shadowed a single eye. The look made him intimidating and mysterious at the same time, with his suave and uncanny behavior mixing in haste. I missed him so bad I'm surprise I didn't handcuff him to myself.

"Yeah," I replied, breathless. I dug my hands to my pocket and handed him my phone.

He grinned; bright and sunny despite the dark sky. It was bright enough to compete with the streetlights and the neighborhood's Christmas tree. Oh man, that was a horrible exaggeration. He tapped on to my phone, pausing a moment to admire my wallpaper of Memory and I.

"There ya' go!" He chirped before practically shoving my phone back to my hands due to his uncontained excitement.

I gave him a bemused smile and he returned it. We began our stroll again, letting Memory and Alpha wrestle in front of us. Don't they ever get tired? They've been playing since the afternoon and yet there were still at it. When I caught sight of my green and blue house a few blocks away, my heart sunk and my brain shut off. This is it. How long is Ric going to be in town? Was he just passing by? A vacation of some sort? I wanna know but I don't know if I'll like the answers.

Memory ran ahead and instantly dropped himself on the grass and started rolling around. I never understood his infatuation with grass but he must've gotten it from Runner, his dad, since that dog always took the chance to do so if he can. Speaking of Runner, where is he?

I paused near the stone path of my Mom's lawn and stared at the white door. I'm stuck between cursing it or just down right destroying it because as soon as I get inside, it'll separate me from Ric. Ric stared at me with one brow arched; an odd and incredulous look stuck on his face. I pursed my lips tightly and my eyes darted from the door to him. Realization struck him and then he blinked and looked over my shoulder. The reaction he gave me was not what I expected.

He pumped his fist and hooted. "Yeeessss!" He hissed.

I stood there: dumbfounded and lost. I was suddenly surrounded by his warmth. "Uhhh... Ric?" I pat him, suddenly feeling stricken. I thought at first he didn't want me to worry but, he looked far too genuine to play an act like that.

"Text you later, okay?" He bounced, literally. His hair was bouncing with his body; it was too cute not to take a picture. Like a contagious disease, Alpha was bouncing with him. It reminded me of that time when we were ten where I would bring him pancakes and he would start jumping like he was on a pogo stick.

"Okay..." I trailed warily and carefully made my way to the door. I stood by the door before glancing back to see him wave before sprinting away with Alpha following.

As soon as I opened the door, Memory goes running in. I can hear barking in the living room, followed by small giggles and squealing. I shake my head with an affectionate smile on my face. I stumbled when my legs were rendered immobile and I look down to see two identical, little girls hugging my calves. I picked one up and rest my palm on the head of the other.

I tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. "Have something in mind, Law?" She giggled and tucked her head under my chin.

I sighed contently and stared at the other twin, her blue eyes shining with curiosity. "Where's Mom? Is Dad home yet?" She shook her head and beamed at me before pointing upstairs.

"I'm making dinner then. Anything you want?" I asked softly. The two little, blonde girls grinned at me with their rabbit teeth sticking out like a sore thumb. They're just so cute! "Alright."

They both jumped on the sofa, giggling and clapping their little hands as I made my way to the kitchen. Lawrence and Justice, my beloved 5 years old sisters, who are as quiet as they could get which is worrying seeing as they should be very energetic at their age. I switched the TV on and the song of Anna from Frozen filled the room immediately, sucking my sisters in the world of ice and love with Memory at the side of the coffee table. Wow, that was so cliché.

They had nothing in mind so I'll just make Shepherd's pie. I'm sure we still have ground meat and potatoes. By the time I blew the torch to the potatoes, Mom entered the kitchen with Justice in her arms and Lawrence and Memory by her side. I smile at them when Mom kissed my forehead and patted my cheek affectionately.

"Dinner's in a few," I opened the fridge and took out some chocolate drink and gave it to Mom.

Half an hour later, Dad arrived home and dinner was ready. The twins squealed in delight and hopped off the table to attempt tackling Dad, just like what they tried doing to me. Dad changed upstairs then we ate dinner. I was so caught up in my cooking I forgot to mention a very important detail.

"Little Boy, what's got you so peppy?" Dad chuckled.

"Dad, I bumped into Ric today!" I exclaimed, feeling my heart beat against my chest and my lips throb from how hard I'm digging my teeth to it to stop my smile.

Mom dropped her fork in shock: her jaw slacked and eyes wide. Dad blinked repeatedly as he tried to process the information for a good 30 seconds before he beamed at me. I told them about my day with Evan and Ric, Mom was so happy she started to cry. My sisters were curious, I can see it in their eyes but, they just continued shoving meat in their mouth instead of asking. I can feel my heart swell and my eyes blur as my story went on but, I didn't let the tears fall. I was happy. Very happy.

"Boy, come on," I beckoned Memory as I made my way upstairs. I side-stepped to make way for him and shut my door close.

"Wow, took you long enough."

I tripped on my foot and luckily, reached for the door knob before my knees crumbled beneath me. My heart was racing so fast and loud I can hear my blood pumping. I clutched my chest as I heaved and tried to calm myself. I reeled when I heard laughter.

"Ric?!" I yell.

Memory was climbing on his body eagerly and attempted to lick him but Ric was staring at me with a devilish smirk on his face.

"Hey," he waved nonchalantly.

I straightened myself up and cleared my throat awkwardly while trying to will my legs not to shake. "What are you doing here? Screw that-- How'd you get in?"

Ric didn't answer but, he simply smiled and pointed my balcony door. Me, being the indifferent genius that I am, followed his finger and saw my door open and with the lights of my neighbor's room sipped in my room.

"Hello, new neighbor," he crossed his arms and leaned against my desk before he gave me a satisfied smirk.

What the hell is up with this cliché life of mine?

 

 

 


	4. Wall of Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That very moment when you realize that they aren't just memories.

"Nice room by the way," Ric pointed nonchalantly as he examined my room like it was a chapel in Vatican. 

He pushed himself off my desk, his eyes focused on the wall littered with so many pictures there’s not a single sign of cream paint was in sight. His long and delicate fingers skimmed the smooth surface of the laminated photograph and silently admired with them ginger eyes.

I may not be able to see them from where I stood but I stare at these pictures every single day that I can already tell which is there with my eyes closed. He's reminiscing to that photo of him and me together with Runner leaning against each side of the tree, fast asleep. Ric's shoulders slumped and his gaze dropped to the floor in what I could tell as defeat. He tried to smile at me but it was more of a grimace contorted with a faint twinge of sadness that was almost permanently engraved in his eyes until he opened them, and the defeat was gone almost as fast as it came.

After my mini panic attack and anxious pacing, I motioned him to follow me to the balcony. Meanwhile, the bastard was busy laughing his as off to help me out of my dumbfounded stupor. I nudged him with my shoulder a little too hard and fast that he lost his balance and nearly fell, but unfortunately he caught himself.

"You knew, didn't you?" I narrowed my accusingly.

His head fell back as he chortled obnoxiously. "Not until we got home," he admitted in between laughter, arms up in a gesture of surrender.

"And you didn't tell me because..." I led all the while giving him the stink eye. He shrugged with his lower lip sticking out. "How long have you been here? That house has been vacant for a month already since Mrs. Hildegard moved."

"I just got here this afternoon," he turned to me and smiled out of relief.

Huh, no wonder. I was with Evan the entire afternoon. "How did you manage to move your things here without me knowing?"

"We moved our things a month earlier while we were in Spain. My flight just arrived mid-morning while Mom and Dad are arriving by the end of the week," he explained.

A month ago I was in Africa visiting an elephant zoo. Loved the trip, not the experience. "And Runner?" I asked as I worried my lower lip. I feared the worse because Ric didn't mention him since we talked.

"He's too old to travel so we left him in Shane's care, he'll be fine there," he sighed; the sadness in his eyes was as noticeable as the Empire State Building. _Not the right time, Alex_. “But I brought Alpha with me. I'm pretty sure you noticed that he's Memory's brother," he chuckled behind his index finger.

I joined him just, leaning my folded arms on the cold rails and stared at the sky that was void of stars. Memory probably still remembers the scent of his brother which is amazing considering it has been 6 years since they were together.

Ric nudged me again and I noticed that his long lashes shadowed his brown eyes. I faltered as realization hit me. _Hard_. A sick feeling twisted in my gut as I denied what was in front of me. He was not the same boy I met and grew up with all those past years. I was naïve to think that we could just pull and hug the hell out of each other as if we were just apart for only 24 hours. This just made me feel like crap. I turned my attention away from him when I realized just how close his own balcony to mine.

"Did you jump over here?" I gawked; confuse between awe and horror. It wasn’t too high and I think it's only about a meter from my room but one slip and he could’ve injured himself. Then again, this guy climbed a 25 feet high tree with just his bare hands at the age of 10.

"No, but I did ninja my way in," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. He covered his face with both of hands but kept his eyes visible, similar to those Ninja I saw in ‘The Assassin Movie’.

I snorted, rolling my eyes at his antics but I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my lips. I can feel his body heat radiate in the chilly air: easing me and wrapping me in the sanctuary of his warmth. I remembered those times where we would lay on the grass while staring at the starry night and he would point constellations for me. He’d pull me close when it got too cold or simply held my hand in the most opportune of times. Runner would jump around or roll on our side.

"A penny for a though," Ric whispered, his face suddenly inches away from mine.

I stared into his brown eyes with a frown of my face when I felt no similar pulse I've grown used to but it did earn him a startled squeak from me. I scoffed and slightly pushed him off. He only laughed then twisted his body so he was against the rails, again.

"I'd be rich by then," I snickered. I thought about other things that don’t involve the young man in front of me to fight off the heat rising to my cheeks. I’ll just use the chill as an excuse in case he notices.

"So you admit there's a lot going on in there?" He guffawed with fake, wide eyes.

"Psh, everyone has a lot in their minds, we just say what we can process," I retorted off-handedly.

He narrowed his eyes accusingly. "Oh, I see where this is going, you playing genius now... I get it."

My hand flew to my chest, gasping at him dramatically. "How dare you..."

We glared at each other, silently assessing our current antagonist, then we bent over laughing. His laughter sounded so lighthearted and pleasant; contrary, from his velvet and deep voice whenever he spoke. He reeled to me with a smile that was becoming even more adoring each passing second as he eyed at me with a kind of emotion I couldn't describe. Fear? Guilt? Morose? Fondness? Thrilled? Many more I couldn't place.

"What?" I chuckled, breathless.

"You've grown more confident," he muttered hotly. "It's charming," he smirked with a tender voice.

I smirked back and nudged him a bit. "Don't be a candy now," I taunted.

He sighed, rolling his eyes fondly. We both snapped our heads behind when we heard Memory barking and trying to claw the glass door. I whirled around when another set of barking erupted and there, we saw Alpha standing on his hind legs while he responded back to his brother. I beamed and opened the glass door, Memory immediately launched himself on Ric before barking back to Alpha.

"I swear, it feels like you two are children," I laughed and pat Memory who wagged his tail in appreciation.

"Well, they're still 6 years old," Ric commented sarcastically.

I scoffed pointedly and crouched down just to squish my dog's cheeks together. He attempted to lick my nose but I pulled away and let him go. Memory situated himself of his stomach as he panted huffs of breath. Ric and I let the silence through the night and just enjoyed the breeze all the while, listened to the crickets playing their tunes. At the corner of my eye, I saw a glimpse of the lights to Evan’s room die out.

"They're moving tomorrow, right?" Ric questioned: tone gravely low and sullen.

"Yeah," I answered, feeling numb and empty.

"Why though? Evan seems to like this town," Ric frowned, his eyes narrowed towards the dark house across the street.

"His mom got transferred to Indiana and Evan don't want to let his mom live alone. There's also the fact that she'll pay twice the bill: one for her place in Indiana, and one for Evan's," I answered. "Hestia is a very hardworking woman. She curses a lot but everyone in this town adores her, especially single parents."

"Single? Widowed?" Ric inquired.

I snorted bitterly as rolled my eyes heaven's fort. "Bailed on them."

"What?"

"Hestia was fairly... young when she had Evan," I explained, unsure.

"Young?" Ric grumbled incredulously.

I fought the urge to squirm under his scrutiny so I just decided to clear my throat. "Yeah, 16 actually. She used to join gangs during her days and got an  _accident_ during her 'high' moments. When the guy found out, he bailed on her without even a note. Good thing he stole nothing," I chuckled humorlessly without even the intention of lighting the mood up. "When her parents found out, they weren't very happy with it and disowned her."

"That's low," Ric hissed sympathetically.

"That didn't stop her though. She didn't quit school no matter what her teachers and classmates called her. She just went on with her business and by the time Evan was born, it was summer break so she didn't have to drop out. It was hard for her go to school without financial help so she went looking for jobs. Problem was she was underage and no one was going to babysit her son."

Ric's eyes bore holes through my body, the heat of his gaze prompting me to shift away from it but I remained still and unmoving. "Thankfully, there was this nice lady at a diner who offered her a job."

"Quite the woman is she then," Ric chortled light yet it’s I can feel the admiration and awe from him.

I nodded my head and then rest my chin on my palm. "During her senior year, my mom met her," I smiled at the memory of my mother’s proud look when she told me this story. "Mom was visiting her former high school and saw a teen with a 1 year old baby in her arms."

"After that?" Ric shouldered me and I nearly stumbled but he caught my elbow in time. My throat suddenly felt tight so I cleared it albeit awkwardly.

"Mom felt a sense of compassion towards her, so she made Hestia her scholar and supported her chosen education which was Medicine."

"Wow, that's very gallant of her," Ric gawked thoughtfully. "10 years..."

I hummed, closing my eyes and tilting my head. "Mom doesn't particularly care about the payments," I pointed with a devilish smirk. "It was so worth it though since her scholar graduated top in her batch and passed the board exams on her first try."

We both turned to the house across the street. I couldn’t bear the thought that it'll be dark and empty the next night. I know I say his first name like I’m teasing him but truth to be told, I like his name, 'Hearth'. I won't be able to look at the fireplace the same way again. I flinched when cold fingers glided over my chin and tilted my head up to meet brown eyes staring at me softly.

"Just because he's moving doesn't mean it's goodbye," was all he said.

The way he said it brought pain to my chest and stung my eyes with tears attempting to fall. I jerked my chin off his hold and turned my eyes towards the house, biting my lip to prevent any sort of verbal weakness. My breath hitched and my body froze when I was suddenly engulfed in warmth and comfort. My mouth stuttered but only gibberish came out.

"It hurts that you won't let me see you, but it's okay to let it all out," Ric muttered against my neck, his warm breath and husky voice huffed below my ear.

I closed my eyes tightly as the pain in my chest doubled and my vision began to blur. I felt him tighten his hold but he doesn’t offer anything anymore, he only rested his forehead against my shoulder. I've always known that Ric was touchy when he wanted to comfort me; however, I thought he'd go out of that habit though it seems like it became even more personal... intimate.

I lie on my bed with my eyes focused at the ceiling, feeling numb and empty as the dreaded hours ticked by. After I calmed down, Ric demanded I go to bed and stayed for a few more hours before Alpha called him. He told me to rest so I can be early tomorrow but the thought of waking up in the morning, hours before Evan leaves, made my eyes sting again and this time, I let the tears fall.

I sighed deeply and turned on my side. I'm such a cry baby. I nuzzled my pillow and twisted to the other side again; trying to get more comfortable but failed with all the thoughts running in my head. I groaned when fatigue didn't hit me so kicked of the sheets and threw my legs off the bed. My bare feet padded against the wooden floors as I made my way to the wall.

I always laminate a picture before I paste them so they won’t fade or collect too much dust. Photographs are like memories in paper, they fade if you don't cherish and keep them. Tears slipped down my cheeks as each picture stabbed my heart, each creating this prickling feeling shooting all over me. My eyes landed on a picture of Evan and I sitting on a log in front of a campfire. This was taken about a year ago during a tree planting campaign in the countryside of New Jersey.

Right beside it was us when we were around fourteen, soaking wet from playing water guns and balloons during the school’s Family Day. A few more above it were recent photo of us releasing newly hatched sea turtles right by the seashore; Evan was the one taking the selfie and I was behind trying to guide the baby turtles to the water. My eyes were stinging, my breathing ragged, and my head spinning as deep and raw emotions brewed within me. Each tear that fell was relief and pain at the same time, comfort and solidarity. Contradictory feelings that clashed and made my chest tightened and throbbed non-stop.

By the time I opened my eyes again; the sun was up and soaked my room with gentle rays. I sat up; confused when I found myself on my bed. If I remember correctly, I didn't go back to the bed last night. Did I sleep walk? Shaking the thoughts away, I hopped off the bed and made my way to my dresser.

"You ready?" Ric asked from his balcony just as I slipped my shirt on. Wait, what? Didn’t I close the door last night? Or maybe I did but I just didn’t lock it? No way was the wind enough to slide it open though, so I must’ve left it open then.

After my inner rant, I nodded at him, silent and sullen. Memory followed as I made my way downstairs, not a bark or yip from him. Mom gave me a hug when I passed the kitchen and Dad patted my shoulder. I met with Ric across the street where Evan's car was already loaded with few extra bags and small boxes. Ric provided a small smile that was supposed reassure me but it only reminded me of what’s about to drop. Evan strode out only to freeze on his spot when he caught sight of me.

"Hey..." I waved, listlessly.

He blinked dumbly before shaking his head visibly and walked his way to me. "Hey."

I glanced at his mom who was locking the door. She threw the key behind her like it was nothing and it clanked and rattled against the concrete pathway. It would've been hilarious but nope... it wasn’t. I drove my mom's car and Ric hopped in the passenger sit. We followed Hestia's car on the way to the airport with heavy hearts. Each passing second, my gripped on the wheel tightened enough to turn my knuckles white. Ric was shooting me weary glances but I didn’t call him on it, he was worried so I let him.

"You watch yourself there," I chided him pointedly. My eyes were heavy from the lack of rest as well as for crying the entire night but I held my ground with a grumpy huff.

"I'm not a kid," he scoffed while crossing his arms over his chest. He rolled his eyes and casted me that bitch face of his with a scowl to match, that I know I’ll miss the longer we part.

I chuckled, my fingers curling in fists. "No, you're a brat."

_"Flight 216. Flight 216."_ The intercom called, catching our attentions.

I beamed at him despite the tears running down my eyes. Evan's eyes glistened with unshed tears too and it resulted for his whiskey-colored eyes to be brighter and more expressive. I didn't say anything else and just opened my arms. I instantly felt the gap being filled as I enclosed my arms around him and rested my chin on his shoulder.

I watched as they entered the gate. Evan tried to keep his stoic face but I know he'll break once I'm out of sight. He turned back warily one more time and waved once with a small smile before following his mom. I placed two fingers against my lips and gestured it towards him. His eyes dilated, his lip parted and gaped and that’s when the tears fell. He desperately brushed the moisture with the heel of his palm but to no avail. Hestia granted me a grateful smile whilst gently ushering Evan to their plane.

Ric and I waited until the plane departed with our arms leaning against the rails outside the airport. I watched the plane descend until it blended with the sky till it was reduced into a dot in the clouds.

"It's not goodbye," Ric repeated. His eyes were focused up and reflected the color of the sky despite its brown color.

"I know," I agreed with a low voice.

I heard him sigh but I didn’t acknowledge it. "Then don't look down and watch him leave," he chided crudely. I frowned, the harsh remark preparing to erupt from my mouth itching to come out but what he said next made me swallow my words. "Then the next time you see each other again, look him straight in the eye and hug the breath out of him."

I gaped and I snapped my attentions towards him. He beamed at me; his bow lips curled perfectly as his eyes disappeared behind his lids. My eyes softened and my heart raced within my confines of my chest. I couldn’t agree more. He lifted one arm to beckon me closer so I inched and let him sling his arm over my shoulder as a form of closure and solace. His thumb rubbed against my bare shoulder but I didn’t dare chide him and enjoyed the attention instead.

Yeah, it's not goodbye. I'll see Hearth again.


	5. The Weight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We only have two hands, you shouldn't carry more than what you can bear.

The sound of my alarm blaring jolted me out of my sleep and got me up rushing to my dresser. I pulled on a pair jeans and blue shirt and passed by my balcony. From my peripheral vision, I caught a glimpse of Ric running his fingers through his hair, probably applying gel to it or something. He saw me at the corner of his eyes and gave me a wave that was far too enthusiastic this early in the morning. Nevertheless, I waved back before running out of the room.

"Morning, Little boy!" Mom greeted cheerily. Mom is one of the few that can radiate that much energy and vibe early in the morning without an ounce of caffeine in their system. I don’t know whether I find that amazing or infuriating but what I do know, is that I should not speak of this in front of her. 

"Morning," I greeted back and kissed my little sisters’ head before pecking Mom's cheek and handing Dad his coffee mug that Mom handed to me.

"Excited?" Dad grinned, teasingly. Ah, Dad is rather the opposite, he hated mornings just as much the next person does and he needs coffee before he starts the day. Mom told me he developed that need during their college days where Dad would drown himself in coffee just to pass the semester.

"Not really, but I don't want to be late," I answered. My mouth watered when Mom placed a plate of vegetable salad and a breakfast muffin in front of me. "Thanks, Mom."

After finishing the last spinach and drinking my apple juice, I brushed my teeth and headed out. I ran to the garage and steered my bike out before mounting it. It's the first day of senior year and it has been a week since Evan's departure. He hasn't called yet but his Mom kept me updated with what's been going on there. I wasn’t worried. She was right though; Evan was really moping. He could’ve just called but I guess he needed the time adjust.

Moments later, I spotted a few students walking down the streets either in pair or in groups. Some greeted me and I returned the gesture. I stopped before the pedestrian lane as a traffic enforcer helped the kindergarteners cross.

"Nice to see you again, Alex," Mr. David, the enforcer said.

I leaned forward and delivered a salute to him. "Yeah, it's been a while."

Mr. David switched the sign from 'Stop' to 'Go' and I pedaled forward. When I finally reached the gates, I waved at Officer Larris, who was sipping his coffee with a donut on the other hand. He raised his mug in greeting before taking a bite of the sugary ring. I locked my bike in the rail, unclipped my helmet and made my way to the building.

As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by the bustled hallway; students catching up after summer vacation, jocks doing their thing, teachers yelling and freshmen all fidgety and small in the room full of seniors and juniors.

"Alex!" Jamie, a random guy I just know, called.

"Hey, nice to see you again," I told him. He ruffled his brown hair before moving on.

"Hey, hey, hey! If it isn't Stoney!" Melvin mused. This guy was my former Lab partner and current club mate in the Gardening Club. All those muscles had to come somewhere.

"Melvs, lookin' good," I smirked smoothly. He winked at me before pulling his comb out and dramatically combed his slicked, dark hair back.

"Always do," he flicked his combed the same way Johnny Bravo does with all that swagger dripping in his tone.

"Al!" I stumbled a bit when my shoulder was suddenly assaulted and I turned to see Bailey grinning at me.

"Morning, I heard we're still in History class together," I stated.

"Yup," He chirped, popping the 'P' sound. His eyes instantly bulged out when he sniffed Mayra, his crush, at the end of the hall. "See ya later."

I rolled my eyes and strode to my newly assigned locker. I punched my code, opened my locker and found it empty. Of course, it should be. It's the first day so no modules were given out yet. I was just making sure though, last year I was stupid not to check it so by lunch time I was bombarded by sweaty gym socks and rotten burgers. My eyes stared longingly at the locker next to mine; imaging Evan closing it and staring at me in confusion.

I flinched when I heard rattling and snapped me out of my daydream. I searched around but all I saw and heard were chatting seniors. I looked around again when the rattling started and drew my attention to the locker next to mine. I frowned and inched over to it, examining it. My knuckles experimentally knocked against the steel, only to take a step back when a curse was grunted out. My eyebrows shot to my hairline in mild shock at the familiar voice.

"What the... Kouen?" I called, stupefied. "What the hell are you doing in there?"

"Well, I'm currently standing here and trying not to squirm too much since lockers aren't supposed to be human cases," He answered casually. I chuckled and I imagined him rolling his eyes while trying to cross his arms despite the lack of room for movement.

"Wait, did someone manhandle you in there?" I squawked in disbelief. Bullying is heavily banned in this school, and I'm not the type who tolerates any sort of related action.

"Well, if that someone is myself, then yes," he retorted, his voice a bit low because of the echo in the narrow space.

"Why would yo-- you know what? Forget it; just give me your code so I could get you out of there. Class starts in 20 minutes," I commanded.

"Who're still in the hallway?" He demanded softly, his voice was a bit raspy and high pitched due to his Japanese heritage.

"What? Why?" I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms as I look around. "I don't know everyone, Kou..."

"Just answer me," he groaned and half-pleaded.

"O-kay," I trailed skeptically. I must’ve looked like a crazy person right now; talking to a locker. "I see Bailey and Mayra at the end of the hall, Jacy, Caithe, Thea... uuhh... Haven running away from the Dayne. Man, they're still at," I huffed at the last part.

"Freshman days..." Kouen sighed dreamily inside although I can tell he was mocking them.

I agree with him. "When will he stop?” I shook my head; feigning disappointment as they passed us. I waved at dark skinned, young lady and then gave her double thumbs up. Haven scowled at me and I can tell she wanted to bite my head off.

"Anyway, who else?" Kouen proceeded as I grunt.

"There's Rosiel, Triss, and... Aaron," I counted, the last name came out as a question knowing full well that Aaron’s first class is Physics, which is at the other side of the school.

"Oh my god," I heard Kouen gasp. I raised an eyebrow only to deadpan when I started hearing his gibberish and anxiety mumbles in _Japanese_ , can you imagine.

"Wait a minute..." I narrowed my eyes accusingly. "Aaron," His gibberish got faster, confirming my guess. "You have a crush on him, don't you?"

"No!" He protested four octaves higher.

"You do! Gee, when?!" I flailed. He only stuttered and I can imagine his squinty eyes trying to avoid mine while his hands shook and fingers fiddled.

"Alex? Who're you talking to?" I heard a deep and masculine voice behind me. I reeled and my giddiness skyrocketed. Kouen squeaked his lips shut.

"Aaron, how's summer?" I questioned; too sweet and innocent rather than my play-it-cool approach.

"Yeah, what's wrong? Everybody thinks you're crazy--er than usual," he raised a delicate brow at me. Aaron is tall guy, stretching about 6 feet, broad shoulders, perfectly styled hair, dimpled cheeks, and pale skin: your typical jock look.

I chuckled before jabbing a thumb behind me. Aaron's brows furrowed before gently guiding me aside. He knocked on the locker and another squeak emitted, making him turn at me, perturbed. I shrugged and bit my lip to stop the evil grin trying to break out.

"Kouen locked himself inside and class is about to start. He won't give me his code so maybe you could help?" I lead on. I can practically hear Kouen cursing me to the depths of Hell.

Aaron's frown deepened; his lips tight and eyes hard. It's a rare sight to see, his anger. He's laidback guy with a personality of a kid, being all jolly and social. He doesn't usually get angry much considering he has the patience of a Saint, but the last time I saw him seeing red, it didn't end well and I'd rather not see it again.

"Kou?" Aaron called softly like coaxing a little animal out of its hiding spot.

Not far from the truth.

I think he just made it worse and Kouen was probably trying to squeeze himself deeper in the locker. The jock knocked again and there was a bang inside followed by curses in Japanese and soft apologies. Seriously? He apologizes even though he's the one who got hurt?

Yup, I think Aaron really did make it worse. Aaron begged him, his palm and forehead resting against the cold, steel door. Finally, Kou relented and recited the code. As soon as he saw how close Aaron was, his face combusted into a pretty shade of red and pink which was evident on his pale skin. Aaron only chortled and helped him out of the narrow space.

"Now, why were you inside your locker?" Aaron asked with a raised eyebrow with his arms crossed over his chest. He radiated this perfect detective look which is kinda hot if you ask me. I think Kou agreed with the way he avoided his eyes.

Kouen opened his mouth to answer but instead of words, the sound of the bell came out. The three of us jumped in surprise and then the next second I pulled Kouen with me as we ran down the hall. Thankfully it was only the 5 minutes signal so when we got to the room, the students were still piling in. Kouen sat to his favorite spot; the front row and I sat in the middle row. I raised an eyebrow when I saw Haven slumped in her seat probably sleeping from all the morning run she had to endure.

"You alright?" I hanged my arm over the backrest of my chair and turned to him.

"Peachy," she grumbles, muffled by her arm. She card her hand passed her brow hair, down to her nape.

"They're not that bad," I snickered which resulted for her to glare at me. It’s the kind of glare she gives during her morning episodes.

"How about you do this marathon every morning, mostly Mondays," she snarled. I winced and cringed away.

"Good point."

"Thought so," she smirked tiredly. "He is a danger to my mental health," she ranted.

"You're name's Haven yet you are in danger," I chuckled, amused. "Kinda ironic, don't you think?"

She sneered at me before I turned back around when I heard clicking noise of heels against the tiled floors and a teacher came in to view. Haven groaned and dropped herself back to her forearms. The teacher with bright red-dyed wavy hair, pushed her cat glasses up before puckering her maroon colored lips. Despite her strict secretary look, she smiled warmly at us after clearing her throat.

"Good morning class. It's nice to see familiar and new faces around," she stated as she scanned the room. "My name is Krissy Tibers but Krissy is fine, and I will be your new English teacher."

She pushed her glasses up again and motioned for the door. "How about we welcome a new face amongst us, you can come in now Mr...." she trailed as her eyes squinted to read whatever’s on the sheet.

Why do I have a feeling this will be another chick-flick moment for me?

"Matthews," a familiar voice supplied and a  _very_ familiar face entered the room.

I knew it.

"It's pronounced as  _Ri-cou-wer_ ," he chuckled as he stood up front in all of his 6.2 feet glory.

"Right," Ms. Krissy chirped. "Mr. Matthews here just transferred from Truman, so make him feel welcome around here," she cast us this death glare that I'm sure will keep Evan from giving off any snarky remarks which will be a miracle, just so you know. "There are still vacant seats around so feel free to choose," she gestured.

Ric spotted me and he grinned coyly. I want to punch him so bad. He strutted his way down and just when I thought my life couldn't get any more cliché, he sat two desks beside Haven's, thankfully breaking the cliché train. Ms. Krissy went on with her class format and the rest of us took notes. Ric; however, balanced a pencil on his puckered lips. It was both entertaining and weird. The bell rung, signaling the next class so we started piling up our things while Ms. Krissy reminded us of the activity tomorrow.

"Can I see your schedule?" Ric extended his hand as he sprinted next to me. I slid my bag to my chest and pulled the zipper down before taking my schedule out. His eyes skimmed the paper with a deep frown etching between his eyebrows. When satisfied, he grinned and handed me back my schedule.

"We share English, obviously," he rolled his eyes and I snickered. "Then History, then there's Social and Gym," he enumerated.

I perked at the word Gym. "Gym is so going to be fun if we still have Coach Seasons," I told him. "He's the Gym teacher last year but I heard he was reassigned to the seniors."

"Ohh..." Ric said, "Okay, I'm heading to Math now. See you at lunch?" He asked and I nodded. When he was out of sight, Haven and Kouen were by my side instantly.

"You already clicked with the new kid?" Haven asks while giving me an accusing look. I don’t even know why what’s the sour look for. Early morning episode, I concluded.

"We're neighbors," I snorted, as if it was the most obvious thing it the world. "And he’s my childhood best friend."

Kouen gaped, nodding his head. "Sounds like a sit-com plot to me," he mused.

"Yup," Haven snickered.

I rolled my eyes exasperatedly and stopped to face them. "Are you sure you're supposed to say that to  _me_ ," I retorted blandly.

Kouen pursed his lips, avoiding my eyes like a plague while Haven coughed and rubbed her nape nervously. I huffed indignantly before making my way to our next class. Quite a circle we have, don’t we? Kouen and his long time crush with the school Varsity captain, Aaron Monride. Haven with her problem with Dayne Ravelion, who is famous Youtuber. And then there’s me: a potato with a poor excuse of a love life… that doesn’t even exist.

Wonderful

"This is where I go, see you at lunch," Haven sighed profoundly, obviously dragging her feet to her Music class that she shares with Dayne. Oh the agony of that kid. Kouen and I exchanged nervous smiles before heading to our Social class.

When the lunch bell finally went off, I’ve never been relieved my entire life. Don’t get me wrong, I like learning but not studying and most definitely, not the biggest fan of a mediocre learning system. Some of the new teachers were nice or just down right professionals; that I don’t need to make a fuss for. Meanwhile, there are the braggarts and the martyrs. Just thinking about my morning signaled an impending headache. _Ugh, morning’s over, quit being such a wuss._

I can’t help myself with that kind of problem considering I’ve never been a morning person myself. Somewhere in my mind, I can hear Evan cackle mockingly at the notion. Speaking of which, I have to call him soon.

Students flood out of the room and started to crowd the hallway, I bumped into Ric on my way out. He chatted about how mean of the institution was to separate him from me and how this girl next to him won’t stop chatting. Like _literally_ won’t stop talking. I tried to pay attention but the constant greetings and pat in the back from other students distracted me from listening and he pouted whenever I looked away.

Pfft, I got myself a man child. Typical of Ricouer.

"So what? Are you the popular student that everyone likes and harbors a crush on?" He grumbled and shouldered me playfully. Though, he’s got this look on his face like he was constipated or something. I snorted and gave him a disgruntled look.

"Well, Alex is pretty much just friendly and generous to anyone so he's likable even to teachers," Kouen suddenly appeared on my side and answered on my behalf.

"He does a lot campaigns and even goes as far as demanding an apology from a teacher when they overstepped their boundaries," Haven added, bumping her hips against mine.

We sat on a vacant round table and set our trays down. Aaron suddenly appeared out of nowhere and squeezed himself beside Kouen, who was secretly combusting inside while Haven tried scooting away from Dayne who popped out of nowhere as well. After a brief introduction for Ric, we continued with our meal.

"The food here is delicious," Ric sighed happily as he munched on his bacon sandwich.

"Cafeteria food is one of Alex's contributions during our freshman days," Aaron laughed, throwing his famous wink at me.

"Really? What'd you do?" Ric raised a brow as he snaked an arm over my shoulder and pulled me a bit closer.

"He started a campaign on healthy lifestyle and non-crap meals, basically convincing the principal and staff to make proper use of the cafeteria budget," Haven grinned cheekily, her hazel eyes suddenly laser-focused on the arm around my neck. I stared at her incredulously and her grin broadened I feared she’ll split her face.

"That and my Mom wants no part of soggy potatoes, salty and watery soup, and soiled chicken," I snickered, remembering that time Mom charged the lunch lady with her famous lunch recipes.

"She's an Amazon, manhandling the principal and lunch lady like that," Dayne snickered with a devilish smirked on his handsome face. He picked up a single fry and munched on it with his green eyes ogling at the only female on the table. Haven was fighting the urge to gag.

"Wouldn't want her any other way," I sang and leaned closer to Ric’s body.

After our lunch, we went on our separate classes. I didn't meet with Ric until History which was the second to the last period, and Gym was the last. To say Gym was fun would be an understatement. It was tiring but it was awesome! Coach Seasons knows his sports well for we played dodge ball on the first day of class. Ric chose to bench and just observed. I didn't try pushing him to join, he seemed content just by watching us but I'll have to ask him why.

After showering and double checking my belongings, I head out with a wave to everyone else. I stumbled a bit when Ric suddenly sling his arm around my neck and pulled me close. No sign of school soap or shampoo in his scent considering he didn't even change out of his ¾ sleeves button down and jeans.

"Why’d you bench out? Gym was fun!" I whined at him as we descended the stairs.

He craned his head back as he laughed, his Adam's apple bobbing and bulging in his throat. "Well, I didn't bring extra clothes 'cause I thought my P.E uniform would be handed out today. Turns out there was a delay in the transport so it'll arrive around next week."

I only nodded. My head whipped to the gates when a bark caught the attention of all the students. I sprinted to the exit and crouched down to pet Memory as he continued to bark and wag his tail.

"What the... how'd you get here?" Ric chuckled in disbelief and leaned lower to ruffle Memory's head.

"He always picks me up after school," I supplied. I laughed softly when Ric showed this dumbfounded, puppy look. "Had been since freshman although I don't know how he did it. Nearly had a heart attack the first time he did it." 

Ric’s grin was lop-sided, he straightened up. "Shall we go?" he curtsied.

"Sure, just let me get my bike," I told him and ignored his extended mockery. At least he did the lady version of the curtsy, I could take satisfaction from that I suppose.

He only nodded and kept Memory company as I unlocked my bike and made my way back to them. We walked all the way from the school back home but I didn't mind. Ric kept on rambling about a lab teacher and Politics lesson. Moments like this give me a fluttery feeling in the pit of my stomach and make my heart race.

This will be the first time Ric and I attended the same school... No, this will be the first time we'll be seeing each other every day, not just during summer now. Everyday... Oh, the thought made me smile both in relief and in grief. Is this the compensation I'm going to get for all the summers I missed with him?

If so, I don't know if it will be enough. We never really talked about and frankly, I'm avoiding it as well.


End file.
